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Home : Preservation : East Village : Latest News : 08/19/11


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Another Historic East Village House Threatened

316 East 3rd Street.

Several weeks ago, GVSHP and allied East Village and preservation organizations asked the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) to consider 316 East 3rd Street, an 1835 house between Avenues C and D, for landmark designation. A new owner had filed plans to demolish the building and replace it and a neighboring lot with a 7-story condo development. Based upon research performed by GVSHP on the history of every building in the East Village (thanks to Preserve NY, a grant program of the NYS Council on the Arts and the Preservation League of NY State), we provided the LPC with extensive documentation of the building’s origins and historic significance. Because the LPC itself in 2008 called the building “eligible for landmark designation” in the environmental review for the East Village/Lower East Side rezoning, we were optimistic that the Commission would agree with our request and step in to save the building.

Unfortunately thus far that does not appear to be the case. Surprisingly, the Commission has responded by refusing to hold a hearing on designating the structure, claiming that "senior staff" at the Commission internally reviewed the building and found it not to be worthy of designation. This follows the Commission allowing other historic houses in the East Village, such as 326 & 328 East 4th Street (see also HERE) and 35 Cooper Square, to be destroyed. GVSHP and the coalition of groups have responded by asking the LPC to reconsider their decision, pointing out the inconsistency in their actions (see all correspondences and images and historic info on the building HERE).

GVSHP and allied groups have also reached out to the Commission urging them to set a hearing date for the proposed East Village/Lower East Side and East 10th Street Historic Districts as soon as possible. We are concerned that while we wait for the Commission to move ahead with formal designation of this area, owners of at least three buildings have moved ahead with plans to alter or destroy their buildings.

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Home : Preservation : East Village : Latest News : 08/19/11

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